An expansion team: Piada has opened its eighth restaurant

Friday

Nov 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 30, 2012 at 11:19 AM

Fresh, fast and "made your way" seems to be the formula to succeed in the restaurant business these days. It's also one that Chris Doody, founder of Piada Italian Street Food restaurants, is tapping with good results.

Mary Vanac, The Columbus Dispatch

Fresh, fast and "made your way" seems to be the formula to succeed in the restaurant business these days. It's also one that Chris Doody, founder of Piada Italian Street Food restaurants, is tapping with good results.

The Columbus-based serial food entrepreneur recently opened his eighth Piada, this one in Dayton, his first outside Columbus. Doody plans to open one more restaurant by the end of the year, and two more, early next year, in northeastern Ohio.

"It really is an important test for us, going from a startup (that began in 2010) in Columbus to a brand that's opening more locations out of Columbus," Doody said. "We're going from a startup to a growth brand."

So far, the Dayton Piada is passing its test. "It's opened to rave reviews," Doody said. "It's very exciting."

Doody and his crew are tapping into a seemingly endless appetite for fast, fresh, high-quality food at a reasonable price. "The more creative, the newer the concept, the more people seem to like it," said Bonnie Riggs, restaurant analyst for market-research firm NPD Group.

Business at fast-casual restaurants such as Chipotle and Panera grew during and after the recent recession, at the same time business fell or flat-lined at fast-food and full-service restaurants, Riggs said.

Being able to choose sandwich, pasta or salad ingredients is "extremely important," she said. "Consumers want choices. They want to be able to build their own food. They want flexible menus and smaller portions."

Fast-casual restaurants also have broad consumer appeal, she said, particularly for adults.

"Italian is a category that has done quite well throughout the marketplace and has been forecasted to do well in the future," she said.

That works for Doody. He and his brother, Rick Doody, started Bravo Brio Restaurant Group in 1992. It has two full-service Italian concepts: Bravo Cucina Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grille.

Good food runs in this family: Doody's mother, Sue Doody, founded Lindey's Restaurant & Bar in German Village, which celebrated 30 years in 2011.

Chris Doody's Piada has been called the Chipotle of Italian food because guests start out in a similar way: a receiving line of employees who assemble food from an array of cooked and fresh ingredients.

A piada starts at a stone griddle on which Italian flat bread is quickly baked. Next, guests choose a grill item: steak, Italian sausage, chicken, salmon, Italian deli meats or vegetables, then a hot or cold sauce and toppings. Salads and pasta dishes are similarly assembled.

Side dishes, soups, soft drinks, beer and wine, and a dessert - cannoli chips with a chocolate-chip cream - fill out the menu.

Kathleen Anthony, an account supervisor at marketing firm FrazierHeiby, found Piada when she was carbo-loading to run a half-marathon. She has since become a weekly patron of the Lane Avenue store.

"It hits on all the points I'm looking for at lunch," Anthony said. "It's fast. The ingredients are fresh and flavorful. And it's inexpensive. I usually get a veggie pasta that's about $6.75 for a good-sized portion that's really satisfying for lunch."

Doody is a bit cagey about telling his expansion plans to the world. "There's a lot going on. We're going to double in size next year," he said.

"We're focused on delivering a great experience," Doody said. "Growth is great, but if you can't execute in the stores you have, you shouldn't grow."

One local observer says Doody's latest concept can be another Chipotle.

"If he can expand the chain with no dilution of the customer experience, it has great potential," said Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of food-service strategies at WD Partners, a restaurant design and management consultancy in Columbus, and a Piada customer.